An Outsider's Perspecitve
by gleekyoutsider5
Summary: Everyone thinks life comes easy to me. They think because I got a job and two good brothers and girls throw themselves at me that I don't need to work for it. But that's not how it is. I may have Sandy Larson and Steve Randle and I have the gang but sometimes it's too much to handle and it's just not working anymore. The Untold Story of Sodapop Curtis. Soda/Sandy and Steve/Evie
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

A real relationship is a story. How you meet is one chapter. How you break up is another. In novels, there's nothing in between. The characters might mention how strong they feel their relationship is getting and they might think about a future with the person. However after the characters go on their first date, most books seem to almost skip to a major break up or conflict for the characters. Nobody seems to take time to write about all of the many dates and the short arguments and the long kisses. My relationship's story is similar. None of the dates or arguments or kisses mattered in the end because the story ended up the same way with or without them. I don't know why it had to be that way; it should have been the opposite. But it wasn't.

My name is Sodapop Patrick Curtis. Everyone calls me Soda cause it's shorter. I was given my original name by my original father; Darrel Curtis Sr. He was a very original person. I got a little brother named Ponyboy Michael Curtis and it's his real name, too, not just a pet name. I live in Tulsa, Oklahoma with my older brother Darrel Curtis Jr. because my parents died last year. We had to promise the social workers we would pay for all our own stuff because they can't help us out with a lot. If one of us gets jailed or something like that, Ponyboy and I would end up in a boy's home because we're underage. He's only a 14-year-old kid and I'm a little over 16. Darrel, we all call him Darry, is older. He's 20 but he looks older than his age. Maybe because he's over worked at his roofing job or maybe because he's experienced so much. Ponyboy still looks like a young kid to Darry and I though. We get along okay at our small house on the East side of town. Darry and Pony fight a lot but I know that's only because Darry wants Pony to stay young and not grow up too fast. He just wants Pony to succeed and go to college like Darry never had the chance to do. I was a dropout at age 16. I'm just plain dumb and I get bad grades anyways so there's no use going to school when it does me no good. Plus I work full time at the local DX gas station. I love working with cars cause I'm good at it and I get paid okay. My best buddy Steve Randle works there with me.

I'm what they call a greaser which means I wear my hair greased back and people think I'm just a dirty hood. I buddy around with a bunch of guys that people call the "Curtis Bunch" because three of us are in my family. My buddy Steve is in the gang, too, and so are my two brothers. Also in the gang is Keith Matthews who we call Two-Bit. He's a wise-cracking guy who steals stuff just for the fun of it. That's what makes him a greaser. Dallas Winston, who everyone calls Dally, is also in the gang. He's the roughest of all of the gang because he lived on the streets in New York City for three years a while back. Then there's Johnny Cade, the gang's pet. He's probably got it the worst at home because he's got alcoholic and abusive parents. There are a couple of girls that hang around with us sometimes, too. Steve's girl, Evie, spends a lot of time around the gang. My girl, Sandy, is good friends with Evie and buddies around with us sometimes, too. I could go into so much detail about Sandy but I don't want to bore anyone.

It was just a regular Friday at the DX when my whole story started. Sandy's dad drove up in a nice, red Mustang and he went off to buy a piece from Steve while I fixed the car. Sandy stayed sitting on the bench outside and I felt bad so I asked her if she could help me out a little. She came over and handed me all the tools I needed when I asked for them. It was no big deal at first but she was nice so I asked her out, just like I would do with any other girl. But the first time I kissed her that night we doubled with Steve and Evie, I knew that she wasn't like all the other trashy greaser girls that throw themselves at Steve and me.

But that's not the important part. It was also a regular Friday at the DX when I was about three hours into my shift and Sandy drove up in her daddy's car. She got out and ran over to me, jumping into my arms and squealing quietly. "Sodapop, you're not going to believe it!"

"What is it?" I chuckled, catching her as she ran up to me.

"I heard a rumor that there's a brand new Grace Kelly movie at the Nightly Double tomorrow night! It's not even out of the theater yet!" Sandy beamed, letting go of me. "We should double with Steve and Evie to go see it. Aren't you so excited?"

I chuckled again and nodded. "Sure, sounds great. I'll take any chance I can get to spend time with my beautiful girl." I could tell she blushed. She loved it when I complimented her like that.

"I wish I looked like Grace Kelly. She's so perfect," she smiled and twirled a finger through her hair.

I grinned and put my hand on her cheek. "Sandy, you look just like Grace Kelly except she's got shorter hair and a more serious face. Plus you're way more perfect and I love you, not Grace Kelly." She blushed again and kissed me passionately, pulling me back against the brick wall of the DX. After we both pulled away, she smiled up at me.

"I love you, you know that, right?" She asked, grinning a little.

I nodded. "I know. And you know that I love you, too, right?" She nodded and we kissed again. We barely even noticed another Mustang pull up behind us. Bob Sheldon, a soc that looked a little familiar to me, probably from school, rolled down the window and yelled out of it, interrupting us.

"Hey Sandy, what's a pretty girl like you doing with this dirty greaser?" Bob asked. Sandy rolled her eyes and leaned back against the wall, giving me a look that told me to take care of it.

"You need something?" I asked with my hands still on Sandy's waist and hers on mine.

"Just don't want a dolly like that hangin around with raunchy grease like you," Bob shrugged and opened the door to his car, stumbling out. "Hey Sandy, you need a ride home? Maybe we'll stable the horses at the park for a little while, get some alone time for some back seat bingo?" He smirked. He was enjoying terrorizing my girl. I don't know how long it will take before they get the hint to not mess with Sandy.

"You're really cruisin' for a bruisin' here, Bob. Why don't you lay a patch and get lost?" I let go of Sandy and stepped closer to them.

"Oh I'm so scared, aren't you guys?" Bob asked, facing the other guys in his car. "Ya got the jets of a two-year-old, grease. I ain't goin' nowhere." I clenched my jaw and shook my head, glancing at Sandy to make sure she was okay.

"I said punch it, shuck," I said more seriously, walking over to the car.

"What are you gonna do about it, spaz?" Bob asked and starting going towards Sandy. "Come on, let's split and go make out."

I shoved him hard, hoping to scare him off. He rolled his eyes and kept walking, grabbing Sandy's hand. I shoved him harder, almost knocking him to the ground. He smelled like alcohol. "Get lost!" I yelled.

After a few more shoves, a guy I didn't know got out of the car and helped Bob get back into the driver's seat before they drove away. "Come on, Sandy," I took her hand and pulled her into the station. We weren't busy that day so we would be fine for a few minutes. We made out in my boss's office for a while because he was out of the office for the day. I made sure the door was locked and the blinds were down so no one would catch us.

One thing led to another and eventually she was pulling off my shirt and I was slowly working on her blouse, but not in a rush. I pulled away from her lips for a second to take a breath. "Not here." I told her quietly as she started working on my pants. "You wanna come over later? I get off at five today."

She sighed and nodded a little, putting her shirt back on and fixing her hair. "I'll see you then." She opened the door and started to walk out as I re-buttoned my DX shirt and followed her.

"Wait, don't be mad, Sandy, I just want it to be more special than that," I told her honestly as we walked back outside.

"I'm not mad. I just need to get home. I'll see you later." She kissed my cheek and ran back to her car, driving away within seconds.

"Later, Sandy," I smiled and waved a little as she drove off, getting back to work.

"Tell me you didn't just hook up with your girl in the big man's office?" Steve asked, chuckling when I came out of the office. "I mean I'm all for it but I think the boss is gonna be a little less cool about the whole thing."

"No I didn't, I'm not like that, man," I rolled my eyes a little, laughing. "Get back to work."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

A few hours passed and soon my shift at the DX ended. Steve and I started walking down the street back to my house like we usually do except when we were about halfway home, we ran into Darry, Two-Bit, Dally, and Johnny who were all crowded by a tough, red corvair chasing off some socs. I was instantly worried and ran over to them with Steve trailing behind me. "What's up?"

Darry was kneeling next to Ponyboy who was lying on the ground with his eyes shut and blood all over. He was shaking him a little so I stood next to him. "Pony got jumped by some socs and they cut him."

"I figured. Why was he walkin' all by himself?" I asked, still sounding worried.

Darry shrugged. "I don't know why he didn't just call one of us to come walk with him." He looked at Ponyboy and shook him some more. "Are you alright, Ponyboy?"

Pony opened his eyes. "I'm okay. Quit shaking me, Darry, I'm okay."

"They didn't hurt you too bad, did they?" Darry asked. Ponyboy's hands were shaking and he looked scared to death but no one ever admitted that kind of thing to Darry.

I dropped down beside Ponyboy and examined his head. "You got cut up a little, huh, Ponyboy?"

Ponyboy stared at me blankly. "I did?"

I pulled out a handkerchief and wet the end of it with my tongue, pressing it gently against the side of his head. "You're bleedin' like a stuck pig." I looked down at the tissue and sighed. Ponyboy had never been beat up that bad before.

"I am?"

"Look!" I showed it to him. His eyes widened a bit. "Did they pull a blade on you?"

He paused before nodding. "Yeah."

I looked at him more closely and he turned away. He was shaking like crazy and I could tell he was crying a little. I put my hand on his shoulder. "Easy, Ponyboy. They ain't gonna hurt you no more."

"I know," he said as tears started to roll down his face and he wiped them away. "I'm just a little spooked, that's all."

I rubbed his hair. "You're an okay kid, Pony."

He grinned at me. "You're crazy, Soda, out of your mind."

Darry gave us a look like he wanted to knock out heads together. "You're both nuts."

I cocked an eyebrow. I'd picked that up from Two-Bit after I'd spent so much time around him. "It seems to run in this family." We all messed with each other in our gang. It's just the way we talked and we all understood that we never really meant it in a bad way, just a joking way. Darry cracked a grin at me after staring for a second. I wasn't afraid of him like everyone else in the gang, or even outside of the gang. He's my brother and I love him of course, and he loves me, too. I just wasn't scared of him because he's never given me a reason to be. I love teasing him, though, and he didn't seem to mind it.

Then Steve, Two-Bit, Dally, and Johnny came running over to us. Ponyboy wiped his eyes hurriedly. "Did ya catch 'em?"

"Nup. They got away this time, the dirty…" Two-Bit cheerfully went on calling the socs every name he could. "The kid's okay?"

"I'm okay," Ponyboy said. "I didn't know you were out of the cooler yet, Dally."

"Good behavior. Got off early." Dally said, lighting a cigarette and handing it to Johnny. We all sat down to smoke and relax for a while.

Two-Bit cocked an eyebrow at Pony. "Nice-lookin' bruise you got there, kid."

Ponyboy put his hand on his cheek. "Really?"

"Nice cut, too. Makes you look tough." Two-Bit nodded.

Steve looked at Pony. "What were you doin', walkin' by your lonesome?" He was basically reading my mind. I didn't want to bring it up, though, cause I could tell Ponyboy didn't want to talk about it.

"I was comin' home from the movies, I didn't think…"

"You don't ever think," Darry interrupted, "not at home or anywhere where it counts. You must think at school, with all those good grades you bring home, and you've always got your nose in a book, but do you ever use your head for common sense? No sirree, bub. And if you did have to go by yourself, you should have carried a blade." Ever since our parents died, Darry had started yelling at Pony a lot and I could tell it hurt him a little. He never hollered at me like that, not for walking by myself. Well, I never walked by myself.

I was glaring at Darry. "Leave my kid brother alone, you hear? It ain't his fault he likes to go to the movies, and it ain't his fault the socs like to jump us, and if he had been carrying a blade it would have been a good excuse to cut him to ribbons." I always tried to stick up for Ponyboy. I felt kinda bad for the kid.

Impatiently, Darry said, "When I want my kid brother to tell me what to do with my other kid brother, I'll ask you—kid brother." Then he stopped yelling at Pony. He usually did when I told him to.

"Next time get one of us to go with you, Ponyboy," Two-Bit said. "Any of us will."

"Speakin' of movies," Dally said, yawning, "I'm walkin' over to the Nightly Double tomorrow night. Anybody want to come and hunt some action?"

Steve shook his head. "Me and Soda are pickin' up Evie and Sandy for the game."

Darry sighed like he always did. "I'm working tomorrow night."

"Me and Johnny'll come," Ponyboy said. "Okay, Darry?"

"Yeah, since it ain't a school night," Darry replied.

"I was plannin' on getting boozed up tomorrow night," Two-Bit said. "If I don't, I'll walk over and find y'all."

"You break up with Sylvia again?" Steve asked Dally, noticing the ring he'd rolled a drunk senior to get back on his finger.

"Yeah and this time it's for good. That little broad was two-timin' me again while I was in jail." Dally said.

Sylvia, Sandy, Evie, and all of Two-Bit's girls were the only girls who ever looked at us. They were tough and loud and wore too much make up and swore a lot. Sandy was different, though, with her soft laugh, natural blonde hair, and china blue eyes. Sometimes a pretty soc girl would hit on Steve or me at the DX and sometimes Sandy would have to scare off other girls but nothing ever got serious with any of us. The rest of the day went by pretty quick. Sandy never showed up at my place but I figured she just got busy or her folks wouldn't let her leave. They were strict like that.

I gave Darry a back-rub that night. He pulled another muscle at work and I was trying to put him to sleep. He couldn't sleep without it sometimes. "Rub harder, Soda," Darry mumbled. "You're gonna put me to sleep."

After finishing his back-rub, I went into my room that I shared with Pony and jumped into bed. "Turn off the light, Pony." I was exhausted and I needed some sleep but Ponyboy was still awake reading. He finished the chapter in his book and turned off the light. "You cold, Ponyboy?"

He was shivering, I could tell. "A little."

I threw my arm across his neck. Then I mumbled drowsily to him. "Listen, kiddo, when Darry hollers at you…he don't mean nothin'. He's just got more worries than somebody his age ought to. Don't take him serious…you dig, Pony? Don't let him bug you. He's really proud of you 'cause you're so brainy. It's just because you're the baby—I mean, he loves you a lot. Savvy?"

"Sure." I could hear the sarcasm in his voice. Everything I had said was true. And Ponyboy was so smart; I don't know how he got all the brains in the family. He just needed to apply himself to real life more. "Soda?"

"Yeah?"

"How come you dropped out?" Pony had never gotten over that.

"'Cause I'm dumb. The only things I was passing anyway were auto mechanics and gym." I shrugged. It was true. I got bad grades and failed every important class there was. But I didn't mind it. I got along just fine at the DX working with cars.

"You're not dumb."

"Yeah, I am. Shut up and I'll tell you something. Don't tell Darry, though."

"Okay."

"I think I'm gonna marry Sandy. After she gets out of school and I get a better job and everything. I might wait till you get out of school, though. So I can still help Darry with the bills and stuff." I smiled a little to myself. I had thought about marrying Sandy before but I'd never said it out loud. I loved Sandy a whole lot and our relationship was starting to get real serious and I liked it. I knew I wanted to marry her the second the words came out of my mouth. She was my girl and I'd never felt the same way about anyone else as I felt about Sandy.

"Tuff enough. Wait till I get out, though, so you can keep Darry off my back." Ponyboy sighed. I knew I had to stay there and be there for him. I had to be his supportive big brother. But he didn't need me to be and I wish he could have seen that.

"Don't be like that, kid. I told you he don't mean half of what he says…"

"You in love with Sandy? What's it like?" He interrupted.

"Hhhmmm," I sighed happily. "It's real nice." It really was. I would never lie to Ponyboy, especially about something that serious. The world just felt happy and perfect being in love with Sandy. I could have said so much more about it but I couldn't bring myself to do it. He was only 14 and he didn't need me telling him all about my girl. Plus I was tired and in a moment I had already gone to sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

The next day was pretty boring. I worked all day at the DX but I had to cover Steve's shift, too, because he had to get something done at home and get ready for the game. It was around noon when Evie walked into the DX and walked over to me, smiling. "Hey Sodapop, how've you been?"

I chuckled lightly. I had just seen Evie a few days earlier. "Great. And yourself?"

"Super good and getting better," she grinned. "You seen Steve around today?"

"Nope, he took a personal day or somethin', I'm covering his shift. We don't get a lot of business on Saturdays anyway. He's gonna pick you up for the game though at two and then come and get Sandy and me after he picks you up. Speaking of which, did you talk to Sandy at all yesterday?" I asked, just wondering if she had seen her.

"Yeah I guess we talked at school but she left for lunch. I thought she was coming to visit you?" Evie said, confused.

"Oh, yeah, she did. But she said she was gonna come over last night and she never did. I was just wondering if something happened," I shrugged.

"I'm sure she just got busy or something," Evie told me.

I nodded because I knew she was right. "Yeah that's what I was thinking. I was just wondering if maybe you guys did something last night. But it's fine, I'm sure she was busy with her family or something like that."

"Okay," she smiled a little. "So do you think Steve would be home if I went over to his house?"

"Maybe," I shrugged. "You can hang around here for the rest of the day if you want."

"Thanks," she grinned. "I just really don't want to go home. If that's okay with you?" She looked at me with a look I'd never seen before, worried almost.

"Evie, what's wrong?" I asked. She just wasn't acting like herself. Why didn't she want to go home? I guess no one in our neighborhood really liked being at home besides Darry, Pony, and me. Johnny slept in the lot most of the time when it wasn't cold out. He was scared to death of his parents. Dally showed up at his house at two or three in the morning every day and only stayed a few hours to get sleep. Two-Bit was at our house all the time and so was Steve.

She shrugged and looked down. "I don't know." I actually thought she was gonna cry for a second. We never cried in front of each other in our gang. Every once in a while Ponyboy would cry in front of me and sometimes Johnny would but that was all. The girls never even cried. Sometimes Sandy would in front of me, though, just cause we were so comfortable with each other.

"Evie, you can tell me, you know," I said.

She nodded and boy did she look upset. "My parents told me that I couldn't hang around with you anymore." She was so quiet that I could barely hear her.

"What? Why not?" I frowned. I didn't spend a lot of time with Evie alone but every once in a while she would hang around with me at the DX when Steve was busy. I liked her just fine and she was a great girl, a great friend. Plus she was real close with Sandy.

Evie looked down sadly. "Because you're a dropout." She mumbled it softly, almost whispering the dropout part. I sighed. I knew that would make people think differently of me even if I actually was dumb. Sandy's parents almost didn't let me go out with her anymore when they found out about me dropping out of school. "My parents think you're a bad influence. It was one thing when Dally went to jail and they knew that I knew better than to steal or anything but when they found out that you dropped out of school, it was just over. They don't want me around you."

"But you can still go out with Steve?" I asked.

"Of course, he didn't drop out of high school." She said. "I'm sorry, that was insensitive of me."

"No, it's cool, I get it. It sucks but if your parents said you can't hang around here anymore with me then I guess you can't." I didn't know what to tell her. I couldn't make them change their minds and she wasn't my girl, she was Steve's.

Evie nodded a little and sighed wrapping her arms around me and hugging me tight. I hugged her back and felt a few tears hit my shoulder where her head was. "It's gonna be okay, Evie. I'll see you around." We both pulled away and she ran back to her car. We didn't end up going to the game that night. I took Sandy to the Nightly Double instead because I thought we could meet up with Dally, Ponyboy, and Johnny.

"I should probably be getting home, Sodapop. Do you think you could walk me?" Sandy asked. Something had changed within the last week or so with her. She wasn't as sweet and gentle and open. She was guarded and scared and jumpy. "My daddy wants me home by 11."

I simply nodded. "Sure, Sandy, but it's only 10 and the movie isn't over. Are you sure you want to leave?"

"Yeah I'm sure, I think I've actually seen this one before," she lied. I could tell she was lying because she wouldn't make eye contact with me. "I can walk if you want to watch the rest."

"No, I wouldn't let you walk all by yourself at night; you never know what could happen. Let me take you home." I stood up and took her hand, starting to walk out of the theater. I saw Two-Bit messing with some girl on my way out and I noticed Pony and Johnny talking to a couple of good looking soc girls. "Sandy, what's wrong? You're acting different. Are you alright?"

She shrugged and continued walking. "I just wanna go home."

"Okay," I said. "You sure?"

"Yeah."

We kept walking and when we were a block away from her house, a blue Mustang drove up next to us. "We've got company." I wrapped my arm around her just as the car stopped. "Stay behind me." She did as I said and stepped a few feet behind me. "Can I help you with something?"

A few of the guys in the car chuckled. "Hey Sodapop," one of them yelled in a mocking way. "You need a ride, Sandy?" Another one asked. They were drunk, I could tell. Sandy rolled her eyes and leaned against a building behind her. She was sick of these guys trying to pick her up and so was I. "You know Cherry Valance?" I wasn't good with names so I really had no idea what they were talking about. I assumed she was just some soc girl, one of their girlfriend's.

"I know her, she goes to our school," Sandy whispered to me.

"You seen her around?" It was Randy Adderson. I recognized him because he was Bob Sheldon's best buddy. I shook my head and he smirked. I could tell we were gonna get in a fight if something didn't stop us. Sandy didn't like us to fight in front of her but I knew she could run home if it got too bad. "Sandy, you seen her?"

Sandy slowly shook her head. "Leave us alone. We haven't seen her, just keep looking."

Randy and Bob ignored her and turned to me. "Hey, you're that kid from the DX. My girl won't shut up about you. What are you doin' foolin' around with another guy's chick?" A different soc asked. I didn't recognize that one.

Sandy was used to hearing that kind of stuff I guess. I never fooled around with anyone else but the socs made up lies about me all the time to get rid of me. They're always looking for an excuse to get in a fight. "Come on, Sandy, let's go." It took a lot of effort to walk away from this. I hated to let them think they got away with talking to Sandy and me like that but it's what we needed to do. I took Sandy's hand and we started to walk away.

"Hey, there's Cherry and Marcia," I heard one of the socs yell. I was too far away to see who they were lookin' at.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

When Sandy and I reached her house, there was no car in the driveway and none of the lights were on. "Why is everythin' so quiet?" I asked.

She hesitated before replying. "I'm sorry, Soda. My parents didn't say anythin' about being home at 11. My curfew is always midnight. And it's only 10:30. We didn't need to leave the movie, but I just couldn't stand it anymore. I can't even look at you without feelin' like I did something wrong. Soda, the other day at the DX, you said you wanted it to be more special? Like it was last month? Well...the thing is...Sodapop, you know I love you. You said so the other day. It's just that...I gotta tell you somethin' and I'm afraid you won't want anythin' to do with me after.

"Go ahead, Sandy. You can tell me anythin'. What is it?" I asked, a little worried at that point.

She looked nervous, real nervous. I'd never seen her that nervous before. "You're not gonna like this. I understand if you never want to speak to me again or if you want nothing to do with me because I made a stupid mistake and now I'm…" she paused and didn't continue.

"Sandy, you can tell me. I'll never stop lovin' you." I shrugged. She was having doubts and that was terrifying to me.

"I'm pregnant." She finally said.

My heart stopped. Sandy? Pregnant? No…she couldn't be. We tried so hard to prevent that from happening. How could that even happen? How could that happen to her? We had only slept together twice, only once recently and it was over a month earlier. It was about two minutes later when I realized I hadn't said anything due to shock. "Are you sure?" I asked just to make sure I heard what she said right.

"Positive," she nodded. She looked scared, so scared. I hated to see her like that. "But Soda…" she stopped again.

"Well this could work, I was gonna ask you to marry me when you got out of school anyways so why don't we just get married now and you can have our baby and we'll be a real family, you know? This could be a real good thing, Sandy," I smiled a little. "I love you, Sandy, I love you a lot."

"I love you, too, Soda, it's just…" she had tears in her eyes as she looked away from me. "Just sleep on it. I'll talk to you in a couple days, alright?" She got on her toes and kissed my cheek before disappearing into her house. I was still speechless as I walked home. It was a little before midnight when I finally reached my house and found Darry sitting on the couch reading the newspaper. I sighed as I opened the door. I had to tell him. He was my big brother and he might understand and be able to help. Hopefully.

"Hey little buddy, what's up?" Darry asked when I walked inside and shut the door. "You okay?"

I nodded. "Yeah. I got somethin' to tell you, just please don't get too upset, alright? Sandy and me did somethin' dumb and she's in a lot of trouble."

"What kind of trouble?" Darry asked hesitantly.

"The kind that she can't get out of." I took a deep breath just as Darry realized what was goin' on. "Look, I wanna marry her, man, but I'm not too sure she wants to marry me. She was actin' real different tonight and all week really."

Darry nodded, looking deep in thought. "I think you got it figured out. You may not be school smart but you know how to use your head. You love Sandy and she loves you and it's all gonna be alright."

"Thanks, man," I grinned a little and sat down in my favorite chair to watch Mickey.

Two hours later, Ponyboy still wasn't home. Darry was going crazy calling everyone and asking if they'd seen him. He thought that Pony got jumped or somethin' like that. "Where the hell is that kid?" Darry asked, frowning.

"I don't know, last time I saw him was at the Nightly Double and we didn't even talk cause he was with two girls and I was with Sandy," I explained. "He's gotta be around somewhere. Why don't we just wait and he'll come home soon?"

"You've been saying that for an hour, Sodapop," he shook his head.

Suddenly Ponyboy walked through the door and Darry stood up angrily. "Where the heck have you been? Do you know what time it is?" He was madder than I'd seen him in a long time. Ponyboy shook his head wordlessly. "Well, it's two in the morning, kiddo. Another hour and I would have had the police out after you. Where were you, Ponyboy? Where in the almighty universe were you?" Darry's voice was rising.

Sounding nervous, Pony stammered, "I…I went to sleep in the lot…"

"You what?" Darry was shouting.

I sat up and rubbed my eyes, exhausted. "Hey, Ponyboy," I said sleepily. "Where ya been?"

"I didn't mean to…" Pony pleaded. "I was talking to Johnny and we both dropped off…"

"I reckon it never occurred to you that your brothers might be worrying their heads off and afraid to call the police because something like that could get you two thrown in a boys' home so quick it'd make your head spin. And you were asleep in the lot? Ponyboy, what on earth is the matter with you? Can't you use your head? You haven't even got a coat on."

Tears of anger and frustration were close in Pony's eyes. "I said I didn't mean to…"

"I didn't mean to!" Darry shouted and I jumped. "I didn't think! I forgot! That's all I hear out of you! Can't you think of anything?"

"Darry…" I began but Darry interrupted me.

"You keep your trap shut! I'm sick and tired of hearin' you stick up for him!" Darry yelled at me. I flinched. He had never yelled at me like that. He'd never even yelled at Ponyboy like that. It sounded so harsh and mean, like the last thing he wanted was to hear me speak.

"You don't yell at him!" Ponyboy hollered. Then Darry turned around and slapped Pony so hard that it knocked him against the door. Nobody in our family hit each other, especially not Ponyboy. We were all frozen. I was wide eyed. Darry looked at the palm of his hand where it had turned red, shocked at what he had done. Then he looked back at Pony.

Darry's eyes were huge. "Ponyboy…"

Then Ponyboy ran out the door and down the street, sprinting. "Pony, I didn't mean to!" Darry screamed after him. Darry stood there, not fast enough to chase after him. I wasn't either or I would've been out there with him already. "I swear I didn't mean to, Soda, you know I'd never try to hurt him, it just happened, you know?"

"I know you wouldn't want to hurt Pony. I know you didn't mean it," I walked back into the house. "He'll be back, don't worry. And if he doesn't come back, we'll call the fuzz to go out lookin' for him."

"He could get hurt, man. You know what it's like; gettin' jumped when you think no one else is around. He's alone out there by himself. Remember when that group of socs jumped you and Steve while you were walkin' back from The Drive-In Diner with Evie and…" He stopped for a second, sounding nervous. "Sorry, man."

"It's cool, I know what you mean. Evie and Sandy were scared to death runnin' away with that guy chasing after them. We almost lost that fight," I nodded. It sounded weird that Darry felt strange sayin' Sandy's name. She was my girl after all and we talked about her all the time.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Darry and I stayed up almost all night hoping Ponyboy would come home. I eventually went to bed because I was so exhausted. I had to work the next day and I knew that Pony would come home within a couple days. The next morning I woke up to find out that not only was Ponyboy missing but so was Johnny and a soc had been killed that night. It was Bob Sheldon, the guy who was always causing trouble with our gang. Two-Bit came over that morning after hearing the news. "Hey man, how's it hangin'?"

"Never been better, Two-Bit," I rolled my eyes and started to make breakfast. "You want any pancakes?"

"Those are pancakes? I must be color blind." Two-Bit chuckled, looking at the pancakes I had made. Sure they didn't turn out how they were supposed to but they would still taste the same.

"Somethin' wrong?" I asked.

"Pancakes are yellow, Sodapop. I hate to be the one to tell you but these are pink," Two-Bit laughed loudly. "Hey, I'm hittin' up the Drive-In Diner tonight to pick up chicks if you wanna come? I know Sandy's got you whipped but Dal and Steve might come, too, and why not have a little fun to get your mind off the kid?"

"Alright, I'm in. Just don't plan on me takin' anyone home," I nodded and started eating a pancake. "They taste fine, man. I don't get what the fuss is about." I shrugged and picked up another one. "Hey, can I tell you somethin'?"

"Sure, what's up?" He asked.

"Sandy's pregnant," I said. I was just curious if he had any advice or anything. I knew he probably wouldn't and would just make a joke out of it but it didn't hurt to ask. Plus I knew I could trust him even if he was always joking around. He was one of my best friends.

"Wow, man, congrats," he joked, slapping me on the back. "How long have you known?"

"She just told me last night."

"Does anyone else know?" Two-Bit asked. It was kind of a funny question and I wasn't sure why he wanted to know.

"Yeah, I told Darry last night, why?" I asked.

"Did you tell Ponyboy?" Another silly question. What did that have to do with anything?

I shook my head. "No, he didn't give me a chance to."

"Okay," Two-Bit nodded and stood up, throwing his pancake in the trash. "Alright, you love Sandy, she loves you, I can't think of any other couple that would do a better job with this kind of situation. Better you, the guy who's serious about his girlfriend, and Sandy, the girl who's desperately in love with you, than me and some blonde I hook up with one night or Dallas and Sylvia or even Steve and Evie."

"Thanks, man," I said, standing up and eating half of a pancake. "I gotta get to work, see ya later, Two-Bit."

My day at the DX went by really quick. It was nothing special or different from usual. After I got off work, I met Two-Bit and Steve to go to the diner. We were planning on meeting Dally there. When we got to the diner we found Dally already working on a cute brunette with pearls around her neck and a big long skirt on. "Hey Dal, what do we got here?" Two-Bit asked. The girl was with two friends, one was a redhead and one had dark brown almost black hair. The redhead squealed when we walked over.

"Hi, I'm Maggie. You work at the DX, right?" She smiled at me.

I shrugged. "That's me. Unless you're thinking of my buddy Steve here," I nodded my head towards Steve. "How'd you get your hair like that? Did you put color or somethin' in it or were you born with red hair like that?"

She sighed and rolled her eyes. "I'm a natural redhead."

"That's cool," I smirked. "You got a boyfriend, honey?" I hadn't flirted with a girl that good looking in a while. Usually I let Steve have all the pretty ones but I was in a bad mood that night.

"What's it to you?" She asked.

"Cause maybe I could take you home. You know, make you feel all special," I said. When the gang went out to pick up girls, Dally, Steve, and I would always just try to see how much we could embarrass the girls. We never really cared about getting a date like Two-Bit did. "You want a coke? You might need somethin' to cool you off."

"No," she shook her head.

"Come on baby, I know you wanna go for a ride with me. A doll like you shouldn't be all alone right now," Dally was saying to the brunette.

"Yeah, come on, baby," Two-Bit chuckled from behind her. "You want it."

"Leave me alone," she mumbled.

"Aw, come on honey, you don't mean it," Dally replied.

"Yes I do. Just go away," she said angrily.

"Hey Sodapop, you think this girl is being fair? She ain't known me long enough to not wanna talk to me," Dally said, facing me.

"No she hasn't," I nodded in agreement. "It ain't fair, baby, give the guy a chance."

"See? It ain't fair. Let me get to know you first." Dally smirked.

"Get lost, hood," she rolled her eyes and looked forward, ignoring us. "You guys want a Pepsi?" She asked her two friends.

"I'm alright, Allie. Thanks," the girl I was messing with, Maggie, said quietly.

"How 'bout you, Peg?" Allie, the brunette, asked the dark haired one who shook her head. "Suit yourselves, I'm buyin'." She asked the waitress for one coke and a few napkins.

"Be right back, guys, I'm gonna go get somethin' from over there," Dally said and started walking towards the other side of the diner. He was probably just looking at another girl and found a good time to pick her up. I saw two of our kind of girls, greaser, sitting at the bar so I figured he was heading that way. Two-Bit and Steve followed him just as two of the girls, Peg and Allie, got up to go to the bathroom.

"I thought you were different than all your dirty friends," Maggie said, rolling her eyes. "But you're just the same."

"Well I'm a little nicer than Dallas, ain't I?" I joked.

"You're better lookin' than all the guys I know. And I know you got a girl so you're not serious about any of this," she shrugged. "But I thought you were sweet and kind. My friend Cherry Valance said she's heard lots of good things about you from your kid brother, the one that's missing. She said she was with him at the Nightly Double last night."

"Yeah, I heard that," I nodded. I didn't like that she brought up Ponyboy. I didn't want to think about him much less talk about him with some girl I didn't know. Talking to her just made me think about Sandy and how she was probably crying or somethin' about this whole thing and being pregnant. "So what do you say I drive you home? Maybe stop and grab a sandwich or somethin'?"

"What would your girlfriend say about that?"

"She ain't here," I shrugged. I wasn't actually gonna take her home cause I knew she wouldn't let me but I let myself give her a hard time first. "Besides, she's got nothin' on you." That was a lie.

"You think I'm just gonna jump in a car with you when I know nothing about you? Tell me about yourself first." She said.

My plan wasn't working. By the end of this conversation, Dally would have her running away screaming 'pig'. "My name is Sodapop Curtis. I'm 17 and I live on the east side of town. I got two brothers and my parents are dead. I'm a dropout and I work at the DX. I like competition and cars and pretty dolls like you." I winked and moved my stool a little closer to her. "So Maggie is that short for anything? Marjorie, Margaret, Ma…"

"Margaret," she replied. "My name is Margaret Boykewich."

"That's a nice name," I grinned. "Got any siblings, Margaret?"

"A little brother and sister, Michael and Mary Jane," she nodded. "They're cute but they fight a whole lot and it's frustrating, you know?"

That I actually did know. "Yeah, Darry and Ponyboy fight all the time and I get put in the middle a lot. Benefits of bein' the middle child," I shrugged. "I love 'em both, though. It's nice havin' a good family like that."

"I'm sure it is," Maggie replied. "I'm not a huge fan of mine."

"Well you got parents, right? And you have money? What's wrong with that?" I asked, rolling my eyes. Socs just didn't realize how lucky they were back then. "You don't gotta worry 'bout havin' the money to put your brother through college, you don't gotta feel guilty that you're other brother is livin' in misery 'cause he's gotta take care of you, you got no one but yourself to take care of."

"I'm sorry, I didn't know," Maggie said.

"'Course, how would you?" I nodded, deciding to change the subject. Nobody knew how worried I was about Ponyboy and Darry. I guess everyone kinda figured I was trying to make enough money for Pony to go to college but nobody but Sandy and Steve and maybe Evie knew how I felt about Darry missing out on college. "So now how 'bout a ride?" I wasn't planning on what she said next but I was a little proud of myself.

"Alright, I got nowhere to be," she shrugged and stood up. I couldn't actually drive because Darry had the car and Steve drove us all to the diner. I wasn't sure how to get away with this. "Well are ya coming?"

I shook my head. "Sorry, Mags, chicks like you just ain't my kind. I got myself a real good lookin' girl of my own so I better not be seen here. See ya around." I started to walk but she interrupted me. I still couldn't believe she was about to leave that place alone with me.

"Hey, if things with your girl don't work out, give me a call." Then she gave me her number. I knew I would never call her so I just tossed it on the ground next to me and started walking over to Dally. Two-Bit and Steve had apparently left 'cause I didn't see them anywhere. For some reason I thought Dallas might have known where Pony is so I figured it wouldn't hurt to ask. He was the last person to be with Johnny and him the night before.

"Hey, Dallas, can I ask you somethin'?" I asked him. He was talking to the pretty greaser girl I saw earlier that night.

"Sure thing, man. Hey Holly, see you at the Nightly Double tomorrow night? I'll buy you a root beer," Dally smirked at the girl as she hit him roughly and said something about him being a creep while she and her friend ran away. I kind of recognized her. She went to the same school as Ponyboy and she hung around with Evie and Sandy sometimes. She was pretty with dark blonde hair and beautiful blue eyes. And she was wearing a leather jacket. "What's up, Sodapop?"

"I was thinkin' maybe you know what happened to my brother last night? Did you see him after he ran away?" I asked.

"Nup, beats me where he ran off to," Dally said unconvincingly.

"Come on, man, I'm worried sick," I sighed. "Please just tell me already, Darry's freakin' out at home." I wasn't even worried about Ponyboy anymore. He knew how to take care of himself. I was worried about Darry. He wasn't getting any sleep and he wouldn't talk to me about how he felt about the whole thing. He just sat in his favorite chair reading the news or watching television or playing solitaire.

"Fine," he sighed. "Stop by Buck's tomorrow night, I gotta run now but I'll be there and I got somethin' to talk to you about."

So I went home and cried myself to sleep. Darry wasn't home until I had already fallen asleep so I didn't see him until after I woke up the next morning. But the day went normally at the DX and nothing really happened so after a full day of working hard I did what Dallas told me to do and drove to Steve's house to pick him up before going to Buck's party. I was already planning on going to the party so I didn't know why Dally thought I wasn't going. When we got there, Buck let us in right away and Steve and I walked around looking for Dally. And maybe some girls. He found a cute brunette to work on while I looked for Dally and a few good looking ones may have looked my way as well. "Hey Dal, how's it goin'?"

"Hey, Sodapop!" He grinned and handed me a drink. "Have some beer!"

"No thanks, man, I don't drink," I shrugged. "So why'd you want me to come so bad?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know. I know you're upset about this whole thing that's goin' on with you and Sandy so I thought I might try and help you out a little. See that chick over there talkin' to Steve?" He asked. I nodded. "I got her for you. Don't ask where I found her or anything about her, just know that I'm a good buddy and I got you a girl. I know you're into blondes."

"How do you know about Sandy? And Dally, that's Penny McFarlene. She goes to the same school as Pony but she's a few grades ahead of him. What were you thinking? And I'm with Sandy, man, I can't…" I paused, looking across the room at Penny. Dally motioned for her to come over to us. She said goodbye to Steve and walked over.

"Hey," Penny smirked a little. "Sodapop, is it? I've seen you around before. The rodeos maybe?"

I nodded weakly. She sure was pretty. "I used to hang around those sometimes, not anymore. My horse…he got taken away or sold or somethin'. I don't know."

"That's too bad," she said as she took me by the hand and pulled me upstairs into a room. Dally was giving me a proud look the whole time and I just rolled my eyes. "I'm Penny. So what's a good looking guy like you doin' all alone at Buck Merril's on a night like this? Don't you got a girlfriend?"

"Yeah I do, you wanna see a picture or somethin'?" I chuckled a little.

"I don't need to, I know who she is. Sandy Larson, right? She's in my homeroom and tech class." She said. How did she know Sandy was my girlfriend? "She talks about you all the time. 'Soda is taking me to the movies tonight,' she says all the time, or 'Sodapop is gonna come back to school someday, I'm sure of it'. 'Soda loves me so much'. 'I hate all the girls that think they can have him just cause he's so darn handsome. It ain't my problem.' She's always saying that crap and it annoys me and everyone else. Are you two okay?"

"Sure we are. Why?" I was a little irritated by that point. It wasn't any of her business.

She looked away and then back at me. "Well when Dallas Winston told me you were lookin' for a pretty blonde who doesn't mind one night stands and greasers I was a little shocked because to be honest, Sandy seems pretty protective of you. I can't imagine why she would allow you to fool around with anyone else knowing how many girls want to be in her place because of you."

"She doesn't know and I'm not looking for a girl. I'm happy with Sandy," I said. "I don't know why Dallas would…" Then I saw it. Ponyboy's sweat shirt was lying on the bed hidden under a sheet. "Is that my brother's sweatshirt?" I picked it up and walked away from Penny, running down the stairs and over to Dally. "Dally, what's Ponyboy's sweatshirt doin' here?" I ignored Penny trying to talk me into coming back upstairs with her and Steve telling some girl a fake story about breaking up with Evie. I needed to hear Dally's reply.

"I don't know, maybe the kid was at that party the other night. I always thought there was a side to him that no one…"

I interrupted him. "Come on, man, you know I'm never gonna believe that. Please just give me the straight answer. Where did you send Ponyboy and Johnny to? I won't be mad just tell me what happened please."

"I'm not gonna tell you where he is but I'll tell you what happened. He went to the park with Johnny and those girls we tried to pick up at the movie last night, that good lookin' redheaded broad and her friend, their boyfriends showed up and were gonna drown Pony and beat up Johnny. So Johnny pulled a knife on the guy and killed him. They left 'cause Johnny doesn't wanna go to jail. I got the fuzz lookin' for 'em in Texas, though, to buy 'em some time." He chuckled a little. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. My buddy Johnny couldn't hurt a fly. I always knew he wouldn't hesitate to use his blade if he really needed to but I never thought he could kill somebody. At least Johnny and Ponyboy weren't hurt.

"That's crazy," I said. He nodded. "If I write a letter, will you give it to him?"

"Sure, why not? When I know it's all clear I'll go check up on 'em," he told me. So I went home and wrote a letter for Ponyboy. I'm really not much of a writer. I've never gotten any better than a C on a paper in school and I failed English the last few years before I dropped out. But it was my only way to get ahold of Ponyboy.

_Ponyboy,_

_Well i ges you got into sum trubel, huh? Darry and me nearly went nuts wen you ran out like that. Darry is awfol sory he hit you. Ya know he didn't mean it. And then you and Johnny turned up missin and wat with that ded kid in the park and Dally gettin halled into the stashon, well it scared us somethin awfol. The polise came by to question us and we told them as much as we could. I can't beleeve little old Johnny could kill somebody. I no Dally nos where you are, but you no him. He keeps his trap shut and won't tell me nothin. Darry hasn't got the slightest noshon where you're at and it is nearly killin him. I wish you'd come back and turn yourselves in but I gess you can't since Johnny might get hurt. Ya shur are famos. You got a paragraph in the newspaper even. Take care and say hi to Johnny for us._

_Sodapop Curtis_

I was hoping Ponyboy could look passed all of my spelling mistakes and get the point. I clearly didn't know how to spell. He would probably laugh. But I didn't really care as long as he knew what I was trying to say. After all, I really missed the kid. Johnny, too.


End file.
